Star Wars: Imperial Victory
by DarthTempus
Summary: "A prophecy...that misread could have been" -Yoda. The chosen one has fallen. The only hope is his son. The Son of Suns will save the galaxy in its time of need. What happens when the galaxy needs its hero most and that hero falls as well? What if all hope that has ever existed is just absorbed by the dark side. The brightest light casts the darkest shadows. All hail the Emperor.
1. Chapter 1: Sins of The Father

"...when hope is returned to the galaxy THE SUN OF SUNS, in his darkest hour shall burn brighter than ever creating the darkest shadow"-Journal of The Whils 3:140

Anakin Skywalker is dead.

He burnt to death on Mustafar twentythree years ago. He was a weak and fragile man, but from his ashes grew something greater. Not a mere man, but a Sith Lord; Darth Vader. Not weak by any stretch of the imagination, stronger the durasteel. He is feared by the galaxy for his power. However that is merely an illusion, there are two other observations of him. A fallen hero who is lost in the dark and must be guided to the light, or a being of great potential; that was squandered when he killed his wife and had his limbs cut off and his organs damaged. Such potential for dark side that was cut off by guilt and a major loss of his connection to the force. Anakin Skywalker is dead.

Luke Skywalker is alive.

He has almost as much potential as Anakin did during the Clone Wars. He may try to hide it with his bravado of heroics and love for his father, but under that shell of light there is a flicker of darkness. Of fear. Of anger. Of hate. He must be guided away from the light and into the dark.

"Your thoughts betray you father. I feel the good in you, the conflict." Luke said as he stood atop a catwalk unarmed. "There is no conflict."

Vader said confidently as he brought his crimson saber to a defensive guard in front of his helmet. "You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now."

_A naive thought. I only showed mercy to convert you._ Vader reflected. "You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny."

Vader heaved his saber and threw it toward the supports of the catwalk and with a flurry of sparks the walkway collapsed and Luke rolled off the walkway and out of sight of the Emperor's platform.

Vader marched down the steps to the entrance of the throne room, he could hear his master's chuckle at the pain of the young Jedi. Well not necessarily hear like a normal human would through the ears, but through a part of his helmet that picked up audio and directly vibrated false ear drums that were wired into his brain. Vader walked under the platform into a shadowed area beneath where most definitely Luke was hiding. He stands with his lightsaber poised and ready and he surveyed the area, an unnecessary measure as all he needed to do was tap into the force and probe the area for Luke's mind.

"You cannot hide forever." Vader warned. "I will not fight you father." He pinpointed Luke with the force. Now it was only time to... "Give yourself to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for…"

He could feel Luke's thoughts, his emotions. His strong loyalty to his friends. Like Anakin Skywalker once was. _No he is dead._ Vader reminded himself. He saw images of a scoundrel with a lopsided smile. A wookie wearing a bandolier. A con man with grandiose. Two droids who looked familiar… _No that is in the past!_ And lastly a sense of caring, of familial bond for…

"...Sister! So,you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."

"NEVER!" Luke ignited his blade with a _snap-hiss_ and his brilliant green blade came flying towards the Sith. Vader was only able to block it at the last minute. The young Jedi's eyes carried the promise of hell just like... Anakin Skywalker.

_No he is dead! gone!_ Luke chopped at Vader carrying sparks as his blade slashed across the low ceiling. Vader caught the cut with his saber, but Luke's slash had been so fierce it caused electrical interference in Vader's cybernetic arms. A memory flashed of the past. An ambitious Sith Lord hacking at a lost brother in an inferno. Luke swiped once again pushing Vader backwards. Another memory. A young Jedi Knight chopping at an senior duelist, taken down from a haughty aristocrat to a fearful old man in a metal encased room. Luke lashed out at Vader once again pushing them back toward the elevator to the throne room, once again triggering a memory. A padawan nearing his knighthood pounding on an assassin out of her league on a stone temple. Luke pushed Vader again. They were now on the bridge to the elevator with a thousand meter drop off each side. Again a further memory. A heartbroken padawan turned demon slaughtering barbarians on bloodied dunes.

Luke's flurry of strikes pushed Vader to the ground only barely defending the angered Jedi's barrage. One heavy strike. A caring brother and friend. Two. A loving mother and guardian. Three. A loving and caring wife who had stood with him since they met strangled to death by his own rage. The green blade cut through his cybernetic arm. Anakin Skwalker's, no his son stood above him with his blade pointed at his throat.

He cackled with glee as he saw Luke give in too his anger, now he shall give in too his hatred.

"Good! Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!" Young Skywalker clenched his gloved hand in front of his face then peered to his father's cut hand.

_No_, _he must be pushed more. He is like his father, tied down by family bonds. Those bonds must be cut for him to embrace the darkside. _Sidious had an idea. He took together memories of Vader from his memories, memories extracted from: Vader, Imperial Officials, and surveillance footage. He implanted images into Luke's mind of young Amidala, a caring mother whose life was taken by Vader. The killing of Jedi Master Kenobi. He tampered with the destruction of Alderaan replacing Tarkin with Vader commanding destruction of the planet. He implanted images of Vader torturing Princess Organa on the Death Star and the smuggler Solo on Bespin. He showed Vader slaughtering younglings in the Jedi Temple. _No he is still turning away from the dark!_

A smile crept up onto Sidious's face as he conquered a fictional illusion into Luke's mind. 501st stormtroopers (who had in reality died years ago) aiming their guns at Organa and Solo and executing them by Vader's command without the Emperor's consent.

A fire returned to Luke's eyes. He brought his saber up.

_Yes this is the price I must pay for my own actions. Killed by my own kin, but Luke must not live with the guilt of killing a member of his family. _

Vader attempted to communicate to Luke, but too little too late. Skywalker's green blade was brought down in a swiping motion it decapitated Vader. The Sith Lords head rolled onto the ground and faced at Luke and imploded, showing Vader's true face. A burnt, deformed face stained by the Dark Side. Luke recalled his vision of the duel with Vader with his own face showing on the decapitated head of the imaginary Vader. This wasn't Luke's face however, but a monster's face.

Luke defused his blade and dropped it onto the floor. He collapsed as well breathing heavily.

"What have I done?" The Emperor walked over to Luke and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Taken your first real step into a larger world, A fuller understanding of the universe. The Jedi trained you as an assassin to kill me, hardly a heroic action. The Jedi's dogmas lead to death and destruction. You have made a right in the world by eliminating Vader." Luke turned to face the Sith Master. "No the Jedi are guardians of peace." Sidious purposely turned his face grim. "A false notion from one who has had propaganda hammered in by insurgents and Jedi. No. You were too young to know the Old Republic. It was corrupt and was in constant war with constant death. The Sith helped create a new order that unified the Republic and ended the Clone Wars. It created peace for the galaxy until the feeble rebels created chaos once again in the galaxy. Join me. Join the Empire. Join the Sith to create true peace in the galaxy."

Luke stood up on bended knees wearily. He seemed to stand for an eternity and then he bowed. Bowed before the Emperor. "I pledge myself to your teachings… master." The word _master_ felt painful in Luke's mouth. "Good, good. You are hereby accepted into our fold. You shall be known as..." Darth Sidious placed his hand over Luke's head and searched the Dark Side for the young man's essence in the force. "...Darth…" Luke snuck a look at the Sith from his bowed head. "...Starkiller. Now, rise."

"Yes, my master."


	2. Chapter 2: Through a Different Lens

_I never thought I would be making another Death Star run. _Wedge Antilles of Corellia, leader of Rogue Squadron mused as he, his squadron, and the _Millenium Falcon_ glide across the surface of the Death star towards an opening.

"I'm going in." Wedge said as he and an A-wing shot inside the belly of the beast. Sounds of the alien language of Sullustese and General Calrissian saying, "Here goes nothing." A squad of TIE fighters began to chase the Rebel force inside.

"Now lock onto the strongest power source. It should be the power generator." The General commanded. "Form up and stay alert. We could run out of space real fast."

The disc shaped _Falcon_ and the smaller fighters began to continuously turn and readjust to the ever narrowing corridor. The squad of TIE fighters continued to chase, but one miscalculated a turn and tumbled into a collision with a girder, causing it to explode. One of the pursuing TIE fighter shot at the aft of one of the X-Wings leading to an incendiary death of one of the Rouges.

"Split up and head back to the surface. See if you can get a few of those TIE fighters to follow you." Calrissian said. "Copy Gold leader." Said one of the Golds. The Rebel strike force split off, the _Falcon_ and Wedge continuing on to the power generator.

_CRASH!_ The _Falcon's_ dish scraped off from the low ceiling. "That was too close." Lando commented.

"There it is!" Wedge said as he saw the power generator ahead. The _Falcon_ and Wedge fly into a wide open space containing the generator. Two TIE pilots still on their tails.

"All right, Wedge. Go for the power regulator on the north tower." No response came from the comlink. "Wedge. Wedge! Rogue Leader is something wrong with your comsystem!"

"No its not that, look dead ahead." Lando peered ahead to see a lone advanced TIE waiting in the light of the power generator. "Lando, I haven't seen a TIE like this since Yavin. Vader used one."

Suddenly the TIE shot forward fast at the two Rebel ships. Wedge's targeting computer struggled to lock onto the approaching TIE but could not quite do it. "Lets split up." Lando said. And so they did, the Corellian freighter and X-Wing split around to try and flank the Advanced TIE. The TIE kept onto the Falcon and started firing at the _Falcon's _aft. Wedge circled around and was on the TIE's tail and Wedge squeezed the firing mechanism of the X-Wing. The X-Wings blaster fire was about to hit the TIE head on, but at the last second the TIE did a U turn letting the bolts hit the back of the _Falcon_. The TIE was now at a forty degree angle behind Wedge's fighter.

The TIE's pilot was about to fire but a thought made him hesitate, or rather a presence. The hesitation was definitely happened, but it was far too quick to make a difference to an average life form.

_That's Wedge, we are friends. _Luke thought. He remembered his first day on Yavin finding his friend Biggs who introduced him to Wedge. Luke and Wedge had bonded in the Rebellion as fellow pilots. _And he is an enemy to peace. _The Emperor's words rang through him. Suddenly images flowed into Luke's mind of Rebel starfighters attacking convoys and innocents.

Darth Starkiller fired his TIE fighter's cluster missiles. They hit the X-Wing and it exploded in a brilliant fireball.

"Damn it!." Lando exclaimed. "I haven't seen that kind of flying since I saw Luke pilot an X-Wing." He grimaced as he tried to think of something to do.

_Lando! He betrayed Han and Leia. They almost died because of him!_

Starkiller fired more missiles at the _Falcon._ "Shielding is out!" Nien Nub exclaimed in his native tongue.

The _Falcon_ dropped down and grew to a halt in an effort to get the TIE of her tail for a bit. It was a failed maneuver. Starkiller fired again and again, pelting the hull of the _Falcon._ The Corellian ship burst apart killing its crew.

"Rogue leader copy! Gold leader copy! Please respond!" Ackbar shouted into the comm system. "Please respond."

He eyed the opening of the Death Star with his bulbous Calamarian eyes for any signs of the Rebel fighters. To his dismay he only saw TIEs fly outside of the space station with an advanced TIE leading them.

_This battle was heading towards a victory for our cause. What has happened? The Imperials seem to be coming back now with a vengance. _Admiral Ackbar fretted.

"Sir, more Star Destroyers arriving out of hyperspace!" Ackbar contemplated this news for a second and then said ruefully, "Order a retreat, we have lost this battle." "But sir-" "I said retreat." Ackbar snapped at the officer. "Where to?" The officer asked. "To-"

_BOOM!_ The Mon Cal capital ship was vaporized by the Death Star's green super-laser. Sidious laughed as he observed. The newly incomed Star Destroyers pelted the Rebel ships with salvos of turbolaser fire, blowing up many Rebel capital ships.

"Master, the Rebel force sent to destroy the Death Star have been…" Pain surged at the memory of killing Wedge. "...eliminated." He said darkly. "This is going all according to plan. The Rebels have been caught in our trap and they are defeated."

The Emperor swung his throne around to face Darth Starkiller. He was still clad in the blackarmor of TIE pilots, without the helmet of course. His eyes were tired and haggard.

"You yet again done a great service to the galaxy." The Emperor praised in a voice of pure slyness. "Why don't I feel like I did." Starkiller muttered under his breath. "Good, do not be taken off guard by flattery. Appreciate the pain. Pain is your ally. It gives you something to focus on. To make you stronger."

Starkiller looked at Sidious with uncertainty. "My young apprentice, this is the code of the Sith. Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, we gain strength. Through strength, we gain power. Through power, we gain victory. Through victory, our chains are broken. The Force shall free us free."

"Yes my master, I understand." The Emperor then pointed his finger accusingly at Starkiller. "You do not! Not yet anyways. You will learn to heed these words and you will gain a far larger understanding of the force." "Yes my master." Starkiller said, "What is your further orders, my master."

"Watch. Simply watch as the Rebellion is undone by this single battle and you will see why the Dark Side always prevails. It is generous. It is kind. The brightest light always casts the darkest shadow my apprentice."


	3. Chapter 3: Empire's Power

"It should have blown by now." Han commented. "Something isn't right." He looked over to Leia. Her face was well deservedly worried, but there was a sadness there. "What's wrong princess?" She peered at him with sad eyes. "Luke. I can sense that something is wrong with him." Han looked her dead in the eye and asked, "Do you love him?" She responded with, "Yes."

Han peered away and said dejectedly, "All right. I understand. Fine. **When** he comes back, I won't get in the way." Leia quickly blushed and looked embarrassed and quickly tried to work out the misunderstanding. "Oh no. Its not like that at all. He's my brother." Han's head shot back to look at her straight in the face with a look of pure shock.

"General Solo, we have been ordered to leave Endor and retreat to Sullust." Lieutenant Judder Page informed Han. "What happened?!" Both Leia and Han asked at the same time. "There was no time for a majority of information, except that the tide of battle has turned and that we must retreat quickly and covertly." "Oh no!" Exclaimed Threepio. Han grimaced. "Damn that most likely means they will start to come on to the planet hard, that would make it hard to escape on the _Lambda _shuttle we came on." "Han we have to try something." Leia said to Han. Chewbacca roared in agreement. "What are we going to do about Master Luke?" Threepio asked. Both Han and Leia winced at the name.

"If I may interject? I recommend we get on the speeder bikes to head back to the shuttle as soon as possible. Our safety comes before Commander Skywalker." Major Bren Derlin said to them. A silence followed. Until Han turned to Leia. "Princess… Luke can handle himself, he's a big kid."

"No... " Leia began. "We have to go now Leia, I know Luke wouldn't want to see you harmed." Han told Leia ruefully. Leia reluctantly agreed.

Luckily enough the shuttle appeared to have not been spotted by any Imperial patrols.

"Looks like just covering it with leaves and branches somehow worked." Leia commented. "Yeah but looks can be deceiving." Han said grimly. "Well regardless, we will proceed with caution." Leia said.

They slowly approached the commandeered shuttle _Tydirium_. First went Han with his. right hand hovering over his DL-44 blaster held in its holster. Then Leia holding her blaster pistol readied for any surprises. Next was Chewbacca holding his bowcaster. The rest of the Endor strike team following them with rifles. C-3PO and R2-D2 were ambling behind them.

They started pulling off the most noticeable of forest debris on the ship and then opened the boarding ramp. They hurried inside. Han took the pilot's seat with Chewbacca at his copilot position. Their hands dancing across the control board of the ship preparing the ship for flights.

It took a few minutes for them to start up all the functions for flight and to do a hurried but complete system check.

Chewbacca said all systems go in his guttural language of Shyriiwook. "All right everybody strap in we're taking flight." Han notified the crew. "Han be careful when we leave the planet. Considering the retreat, orbit is probably crawling with Imperials." Leia warned.

"Yeah I guessed that."

Outside of the throne room it was a spectacular show. Flowers blossoming to an outburst of orange petals. Bugs of all shapes and sizes flying about in a frenzy. Rays of sunshine shooting off in every direction.

However the flowers that were blossoming were ships exploding, ripping apart their metal hulls in a fiery burst. The bugs were starships running around trying not to get incinerated in an instant. The rays of sunshine were turbolasers that could glass a planet with the amount of ships available.

Luke looked on in horror as countless good soldiers died. His skin gone pale at the ripples in the force turned tidal waves overcoming him. Sidious looked over to his petrified apprentice.

_Perhaps I should show him some "kindness". He shouldn't be taught the pain that is required to teach the dark side quite yes. He still needs to be reeled in more. _Sidious thought. _Perhaps he needs to be readjusted to experience ambition. He needs to have a lust of power. He is too selfless at the moment._

"I am not showing you this to scare you or put you in your place." Sidious told Luke using a voice he had not used in years. The voice of a kind senator, chancellor and confidant of Anakin Skywalker.

Luke's eyes turned to face the Emperor but not his head.

"Why then?" He said bitterly. "To show you the power that the Empire has. The power that I have. The power that the Sith has." Sidious turned to Luke purposefully and continued, "Power that you will have."

"Actually I am passively using a technique called battle meditation. It sharpens the morale of my soldiers. Thats why they are so effective." He said in an almost merry tone.

He placed his hands on Luke's shoulders making the young man face him. "My young apprentice, we rule the galaxy. I can give you anything your heart desires."

Luke's eyes travelled off in contemplation. "Like what?" He asked.

"A star destroyer, the Death Star, Coruscant. Anything. Money, power you name it. So my young apprentice."

Luke didn't respond. "Ah, that must be your Jedi training. Not thinking about themselves. Serving everyone, even though the Jedi in truth only serve the cause."

Luke continued his silence and turned away from the Emperor and from the slaughter outside.

The Emperor's face turned from kind and understanding (as much as his ghoulish face could get) back to a scowl.

"Starkiller! You will watch how the rest of this battle unfolds!" He commanded.

Luke stopped dead in his tracks and reluctantly turned back around to the disheartening wholesale slaughter.

"My god…" That was was all Leia could spit out.

She stood rigidly looking on in horror at the Imperial domination. Not only her though. Both Han and Chewie did as well. Mouth gaping open in complete shock.

_I was worried about orbit being dangerous, but this is insane. _Leia thought.

They stood there in shock for what seemed to be infinity until a straying turbolaser got a little too close to the shuttle.

Han shook his head and said, "Well we better get out of here." "But what about-" Leia began. "We will die if we stay!" Han shouted. Leia reeled back. Hurt by his words immeasurably.

Han took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to lose you and Chewie. We have to leave, its too dangerous. Chewie prepare us for hyperspace."

Chewbacca silently worked with the controls. The cockpit was silent when they were hyperspace ready and when Han pulled a lever turning stars into starlines as they entered the lonely void of hyperspace.


	4. Chapter 4: The World That Could Not Be

Luke hands gripped the steering yoke of his X-Wing in preparation, staring into hyperspace. They'd been planning this attack on the Imperial convoy for months now.

Rogue Squadron was selected for this important mission. It was created from the remnants of Red squadron and the best of the best of Gold and Blue squadrons. After much debate, Wedge had been appointed as rogue leader. Wedge insisted that Luke should be leader, considering that he had blown up the Death Star. Luke felt that Wedge had more experience and that himself would be too preoccupied with Jedi buisness.

However for this mission, Luke was designated as Rogue leader. Wedge still kept his callsign as Rogue one.

An informant had given the Rebels the vector in which the convoy would come out of hyperspace. They had planned this meticulously so that when Rogue squadron came out of hyperspace they would intercept the convoy. Hopefully.

"Allright. Rogues we are coming on to the vector in T-minus five minutes." Luke said. "All X-Wings report." A chatter of all Rogues resounded on the comm. "Prepare your systems."

Luke started moving his hands around his cockpit making sure all systems were on and turning on the ones that were not.

"T-minus one minute." Luke said calmly. "Lock your S-foils."

His heart pounded in anticipation. Taking this convoy would be a great boon for the Rebel Alliance.

Only a few seconds now.

"Vector approach in T minus five... four… three… two… **one!**"

The kaleidoscope of hyperspace slammed into starlines as the X-Wings returned to realspace. Just in time to see a cargo ship surrounded by TIEs appear from nothingness.

The X-Wings flew like a spearhead, single filed at the bow of the cargo ship. The TIEs took position and shielded the cargo ship, a squad for each side of the ship. The X-Wings

Luke commanded four of the X-Wings to assault the stern of the cargo ship. Another four at its starboard side and another four at it port. He took another three along with himself to head towards the bow.

And so they split off in a seemingly random paths to their designated areas, dodging laser fire from the ties.

_Strange. The cargo ship has turbolaser cannons, but it won't fire._

A dozen TIEs flew towards Luke and his fighters. They flew into a net shape surrounding the X-Wings until Luke and his three other fighters were surrounded. The net closed and tightened like it was a hand strangling a throat.

Luke took his wing into various snap rolls and other maneuvers, effortlessly blasting TIEs out of space. While other pilots mostly had to rely on targeting computers and droids to make sure they hit their mark, Luke could hit anything with the help of the force.

In what seemed like brief moments, Rogue squadron eliminated the TIEs, leaving the cargo ship defenseless.

Except for its turbolaser cannon which did not fire still.

"_Executive Star _surrender and prepare for boarding." Luke said on to an open channel. "_Executive Star. _I repeat surrender and prepare for boarding." Luke scowled in frustration then attempted to calm himself, reminding himself that Jedi must be calm. "_Executive Sta-" _

Luke's words were choked out in surprise as the _Executive Star_ exploded seemingly without any harm against it. In fact the explosion was much larger than usual then even if it had self destructed. The blast engulfed all X-Wings except Luke.

He looked on in horror as old friends and even some recent were torn apart in an incendiary death. And for the briefest moment…

Space was completely void. Void of sound or ships.

"No!" Luke roared in a combination of sadness, helplessness, and anger. Each trying to fight its way to being most prevalent.

Right after the exclamation to Luke's horror. A Super Star Destroyer came into realspace. A salvo of emerald turbolaser fire pelted Luke's X-Wing. Tearing apart R2 with the little droid screaming in horror.

The X-wing's cockpit was filled with various warning sounds of the many systems down.

Luke's instinct pulled at him to run or hide or do anything. He merely just sat in his seat paralyzed. Then suddenly the force pulled on him. Beckoning him to give in to his emotions. _Fight! Fight! Fight!_ It called.

And thus with a warcry Luke instinctively without thought put his X-Wing charging forward. Another barrage of turbolaser fire put an end to that.

His fighter pulled itself apart in a sudden flame. Luke found himself in the vacuum of space.

The Super Star Destroyer was gone. All that was left was Luke floating in space. The strange thing was that his air wasn't pulled out of him He did not die, but he felt no pain as well. Except for his right hand which was burning as it had went it was cut off.

Then an overwhelming pain pelted his mind as images flowed through it. A medical room filled with sorrow. A sunset bittersweet. Sandy dunes of placidness. Death pouring out of a house. The stink of a dirty bar. The sterileness of a death trap. The narrows of a battlefield. The cold bitter wasteland. The lively and strange swamp. The terrifying city of clouds. The return to the dunes. An untamed wilderness. The return to the death trap.

Then a warm feeling filled his mind. A unknown but a loving mother. A caring aunt and uncle. A wise old hermit. Two peculiar droids. A cynical smuggler. A indebted Wookie. An independant sister. A suave but sly businessman. A loving father.

Then new images appeared. A blue symbol of governance. A dark city returned to light. A benevolent but pragmatic crime boss. A jaded woman who is the love of his life. A girl who is a gifted pilot. A philosophical boy. Another boy entranced with machinery. Then lastly a loyal boy who is of his kin.

Then with great pain to all of Luke excluding his hand, those images burned up in flames. Leaving behind a inky black cloaked figure in the darkness of space.

Luke realized who that figure was. _The Emperor!_

"I'll kill you!" Luke shouted with great anger and hatred he never knew he had the reserves for.

His cybernetic hand was replaced with a black shadow. The shadow moved its way to the cloaked figure's throat. Luke almost smiled at ending this monster. He would end his reign. End it once and for all.

He edged closer to the figure. Ever so closely he saw the figure's face. He didn't recognize it. _Who is that?_ He thought.

Then he realized who it was.

The man behind the mask.

Luke Skywalker.

With a malicious smile with penetrating yellow eyes.

"NO!" Luke shouted into darkness. It wasn't darkness however now. It was a durasteel ceiling in the Death Star. Luke had awoken in cold sweat. Shaken with fear. He immediately clenched his cybernetic hand so hard that it caused electronic feedback.

He then brought both his hands to cover his face. "Who am I?" He whispered.

"Who am I?!" He shouted into the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5: Just Like His Father

He was in a bare, sterile room. He laid on a hard metal bed. His skin felt cold and clammy. Sleep would not come to him, but he continued to lay, not having the effort to get up. The dream hung onto him like a chain.

He felt reminded of his time on Dagobah. Instead of heading Yoda's words he went into the dark cave with the wrong intents. He killed in anger thinking of ending the reign of Vader. However he only found himself. He had fallen into the same trap twice.

Yoda's words rang through his mind. _If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice._

"I've failed you Yoda. I've failed you Ben. I've failed you Leia. I've failed everyone." He muttered to himself sorrowfully.

Then suddenly different words from a different source pierced his mind. _The Jedi trained you as an assassin to kill me, hardly a heroic action._

These were the words the Emperor had told him a night ago.

_No thats not true._ Luke told himself. _They trained me to vanquish the evil…_

Another set of words interrupted his reasoning. _One thing remains; Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be. And confront him you will. _

That could possibly mean anything, but what if the Emperor's words rang true? What if his destiny was to kill Vader?

The argument went back and forth in his mind for hours, then he finally had an idea of what to do.

He climbed out of the bed and found for his possessions: his lightsaber, a blaster, his dark robes, the Imperial flight-suit, and an Imperial officer uniform.

He put on the officer uniform realizing he would look out of place on the Death Star in his Jedi robes. Where he could be easily recognized as the hero of the rebellion Luke Skywalker. He found a place to hide his lightsaber in the uniform.

He made an effort to make sure that his posture was straight and at attention, mimicking the Imperials he had seen.

When he slid open the door of his barracks his heart nearly stopped. Not at anything specific, but the sudden realization of standing out in the open in a Death Star. He would have laughed at himself if it was not for what he was planning.

He walked along the pristine hallways of the Death Star. Mouse droids skittering by. Stormtroopers marched along in tight formation. Other officers walked around looking at datapads and other important officer business.

Even though Luke pretending to be an officer his business was with the Emperor, not the military. He summoned a turbolift and stepped inside.

He took the brief moments in the lift to breath and compose himself. He had to appear calm for this. He summoned all of his Jedi teachings to have his appearance of tranquility betray his true feelings.

The doors of the turbolift slid open and Luke entered the throne room. He stepped past the Emperor's two Royal guardsmen armored in crimson. As Luke walked toward an up the stairs leading to the throne his heart beating faster at each one of his steps.

Crossing the throne room seemed to take an eternity. The Emperor sat in his chair turned against the room and towards the stars. Luke stepped right beside the throne and also looked to the stars.

"Master, I have thought about your words from yesterday and I have come to accept them." Luke said neutrally.

The Emperor steepled his fingers. An invisible grin upon his scarred face.

"I realize now that you are right. Yoda and Obi-Wan were trying to train me to defeat you and Vader. In doing that-"

With a sudden motion Luke brought his blade to life striking down at the Sith lord's head with one hand. The brilliant green blade stopped at the top of the Sith's cowl. It did not budge any further. Luke pressed another hand to the saber trying to pry it down to the Emperor's head.

The Emperor let out a raucous laugh. The two Royal guardsmen were on top of Luke in an instant. They were about to kill Luke when the Emperor intervened.

"No don't kill him." He commanded the two guardsmen. Then his eyes traveled down to Luke who was standing, paralyzed in fear. "Good Starkiller. You have fed upon your anger and used it to strengthen you." The Emperor said with a smile.

Luke's lightsaber gripped out of his hands by an invisible source and turned off.

"However, you will not strike me down! You shall learn your place!" He said angrily as he put his hands forth at Luke.

Blue electricity danced out of his fingertips coiling their way around Luke. The bolts wrapped around Luke towing him down to the ground. He writhed in pain, sitting on one knee in a bowing posture.

"Well at least not yet." The Emperor said calmly as he stopped the torrent of electrical anguish.

The lightsaber still floated in the air as it was disassembled, piece by piece. Luke winced as the green power crystal of the lightsaber started to crack. He waited for it to explode in a devastating blast. That blast did not arrive however as it was crushed to dust by the force.

"A lightsaber is a mere tool. Tools shatter when force is applied. Even tools as powerful as the Death Star pale in comparison to the full power of the dark side. A Sith Lord during the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War. He had a craving for the force. His hunger was so great he could drain the life of an entire planet. Some Sith could even create a storm to rip apart hyperspace, creating a wormhole that can tear apart the surface of a planet. Some could dominate the minds of the population of a planet. My point here Starkiller, is that you may think the force's potential is to lit large objects and crush throats, but the dark side is more powerful than you can possibly imagine!"

Silence pierced the room. The unease so thick it could be cut with a vibroblade. After a few agonizing moments, Luke stood. "I understand, master." He whimpered. "What would you have me do?" Starkiller asked.

"Well it appears some Rebels escaped from Endor." Darth Sidious said. "The person responsible shall be dealt with."

A worried but inquisitive look appeared on Starkiller's face. "You may speak your mind, my apprentice." Sidious said. Starkiller breathed out and said, "The remaining Rebels jumped to hyperspace. There was nothing anyone could have done to stop them."

A wicked smile creased Sidious's face. "Oh my young apprentice, I was not talking about the ones in space."

"You hear about what happened what happened during the battle?" Usually gossip didn't carry around in the strict Imperial military, but for every well built duracrete structure there are always cracks letting air in.

"Yeah, we won. End of story. The Rebel scum that we didn't eradicate ran with their tails between their legs." Another officer responded. The first officer who started the conversation's voice turned conspiratorial. "I heard that…" His voice turned even more quiet. "...Vader was killed."

A gasp rose and the rumor talk passed along the room like a rakghoul plague. The whispers speculated, denied, and worried. Some even celebrated the chance that this brutal warlord could be dead.

A sound cut off the whispers to silence. The sound of a door sliding open created a tension so large the officers almost needed to hold on something to hold on to something to protect from the pressure.

_Vader!_ They thought as they saw an imposing figure in black at the entrance. The thoughts diminished when it walked inside. It wore tight fitting ink colored robes with a long midnight black cloak. Atop its head it wore the distinctly ebony TIE pilot mask, like their stormtrooper brethren looked like they were constantly scowling.

"Captain Jancros, please step forward." The dark figure commanded, its voice distorted by the helmet's speaker. The room was paralyzed in confusion for a few moments then a major stepped forward, indicated by his insignia having four red squares above four blue squares.

"Excuse me, but what authority do you have ordering my men around!" The major said. The figure handed the major a datapad. The major studied it and his eyes widened noticeably.

"By the Emperor's…" He muttered. "Alright, I understand." He wheeled around and his eyes indicated a captain with a cybernetic left eye. "Captain Jancros, present yourself!" The major commanded.

The captain marched forward to meet the shadowy figure. He stood in attention before it. "What is it?" He said neutrally. The major nudged him and whispered. "Show respect, he is here on the Emperor's orders." The captain's eyes widened with fear.

"Do you know what you did?" The figure's voice boomed. "No. Uh, no s-sir." The captain said nervously. "You let a squad of Rebel insurgents escape!" It said. "S-sir-" The captain started.

The captains words were sucked of his mouth along with his air. His hands grabbed at his throat. They scratched the non-existent hands throttling him. He fell to his knees, his eyes popping. He struggled against the invisible assault. Without any air he collapsed onto the floor dead.

The figure spun around, his cloak spinning in a flourish. He marched to the doorway. He hesitated though. His head over his shoulder and to the room. "Vader is dead." It said.

With that it stormed out the room.

Before going to report to the Emperor, Luke went into his quarters. He yanked off his mask and just sat. Horrified at ending a life so casually. Just like his father. Just like Darth Vader.


	6. Chapter 6: New Mission

"That death was unnecessary!" Starkiller roared. Sidious smiled and said as if he took some perverse pleasure in the young mans anger, "Such fire in you my apprentice." Starkiller took a step forward and pointed his finger at the Sith Lord. "So what, someone makes a mistake and we give them capital punishment!"

"I never said kill him, I said deal with him. Apparently that means you were the one who took action and for that I applaud you." Sidious said calmly but with just a hint of smugness.

The rage that veiled Starkiller's face was indescribable. The air was poisoned with loathing. The floor of the room shook. Clothes danced around as if a hurricane has passed through. He was tenebrific. Starkillers' lips ripped back, baring teeth.

"You…" He said like water simmering. Right on the edge of boiling over. Bubbles just starting to form. His voice rose with the next word, a bomb ready to go off. "You…"

Sidious smiled at the boy squirming with malignant intent. However to the Sith Lord's disappointment Starkiller breathed and stayed himself. The young man's body rigid with anger loosened itself with calm. He turned away from the Emperor, his cloak swirling.

"You are unjust." He said without anger nor calm. With that Starkiller walked out of the throne room.

_Starkiller could mull in his room all he wanted but his hatred will still overtake him._ Sidious thought. _I have other manners to attend to, and other people._

One being a woman only slightly younger than Starkiller. She wore a sleek midnight sleeveless suit. A black cloak was draped around her. Her hair was long and garnet colored. Her emerald eyes could pierce through the durasteel hull of a ship.

She kneeled in front of the Emperor. "Dequc is dead my lord." She said.

"I believe you said you had already killed him." Palpatine said mockingly bemused. "The previous was a decoy, during my leave I found the real Dequc and ended his life." She said unfazed.

The Emperor then said. "Dequc belongs shoved in death's door. Xizor may have been useful for a time, but only his mind was needed. Xizor was almost part of a triumvirate between me and Vader that had originally included Wilhuff Tarkin. However Xizor was never loyal. Thats how criminals are. Dequc's 'Black Nebula' would never had been like the Black Sun. So the criminal organization was not needed in the Empire. You have done well my Hand."

The Emperor's Hand nodded. "Thank you my lord." Palpatine noticed a hidden question on her face when he mentioned Vader. "Yes it appears it is no longer even close to a triumvirate. Tarkin died years ago on the first Death Star. Xizor was punished for his defiance. Lastly, the rumors are indeed true. Vader is dead."

The Hand's face was neutral and Palpatine couldn't even pry her mind for inspection of surprise. Her mental walls trained by the Sith Lord were that strong. However, Sidious knew her. There was surprise and curiosity as to the killer of Vader.

"You will meet Vader's killer in the future. He is my new apprentice, one far younger and far more powerful."

Again she showed little emotion.

"Even though you have just arrived I have an important mission for you." The Emperor said. "I will do your bidding my lord." She said. He pulled out a small beacon. "I need you to go to a planet in the Arkanis sector and place this beacon at specific coordinates. I will update you later."

She bowed once again. "As you ask my lord."

Sleep would not arrive and he could not put himself into a force induced trance. He just sat on his bed in conflict. The look of the captain's face as he was throttled to death scarred his mind. _S-sir…_ Those were the captain's last words. They gripped onto Luke's thoughts like a mynock leaching a starship.

He was stuck, stuck in place, stuck in time. Stuck like the breath trying to escape in the captain's last moments. His concentration limped like the limp body of the dead body.

"What have I done? What have I done? _What_ have I done?" He whimpered constantly.

He was an iconoclast of his own beliefs. _No._ He thought. _Its the emperor. He has done this. He did this all._

He clenched his cybernetic fist. The blaster he had in his quarters raised into the air. His fist closed harder, causing a tingling numbness in his nerves. The blaster began to contact. It folded in on itself. Smoke poured out of it.

The iron grip closed into the blaster. A flame started inside of it. It spread around like a disease. The fire encapsulated the inside wanting to go outside. To burst outside in a rage. And so it did after a time. In a small explosion the blast burst into shrapnel cutting into various things in the room. The fire escaped into the room burning its surroundings.

Luke Skywalker sat in his room doing nothing for hours and days. Soaking in his thoughts. He didn't pay attention to his quarters until a sound went off. A comm link signal.

Luke hesitantly but surely answered the call. A voice didn't come through, but a coded message. It kept going on and on without pause. Luke after doing nothing in awe started to try to decipher it. To try and recognize it.

Recognize it he did. It was a Rebel code based on some secretive codes used by the Jedi before the purge. Luke started to piece it together to get the message.

_The war is over. I repeat, the war is over. All Jedi are ordered to return to the Jedi Temple immediately. You will receive further instructions when you arrive._

"What in the worlds?" Luke said with bewilderment. "Jedi Temple…" He murmured.

He sat for a few moments thinking. Then he decided to take action. With the admiralty lacking slicing skills he had, he attempted to track the source of the signal.

He triangulate it to the Outer Rim. _Big help._ He remarked facetiously. Then to the Arkanis sector. That both intrigued him and worried him. A deep hidden worry. His anxieties were realized when he found the planet. Tatooine in the Tatoo system.

He then reasoned with himself what the signal was. For some reason this was the way Leia and Han tried contacting him. But why Tatooine? Yes they had used it when Han was in carbonite, but that was because Jabba was on Tatooine and Ben's house was there with a journal. Why now?

Looks like he had to find out for himself.


	7. Chapter 7: The Future and The Past

It was too easy. It should've have been harder. A _Lambda_ class shuttle should not have been guarded by two stormtroopers. On the Death Star of all places! Even these stormtroopers were weak willed. Hardly the statues of strength required to protect the shuttle that the Emperor arrived on. A simple mind trick and he was on.

He quickly checked and scanned for any evidence of a tracking device. Even then it was a rushed job. In a dash he ran to the cockpit and worked the controls. The shuttle shook as it was repulsed into the air. It jolted out of the hangar bay, out into the cold abyss of space.

"Tatooine. Here we come." He said to himself, then realizing he said "we".

R2 wasn't here. Luke didn't know where the little droid was. Or really anyone. Leia, Han, Chewie, Threepio, and Lando. _We'll just have to see if Tatooine is the place._ He thought.

He punched in the coordinates in the nav computer and pulled the switch to hyperspace. Stars streaked as the shuttle went into the process of going to into hyperspace. And so the shuttle began its journey to Tatooine.

_I never could have guessed I would be making an effort to __**go**_ _to Tatooine. Twice!_ Luke mused. He sat back into his seat, thinking about his friends. Since the trip would last a few hours in hyperspace he decided to try and meditate once again.

It worked this time, he slipped into a trance. The conflict in his mind nullifying in the face of his goal. He had something to do now. To find the source of the message and hopefully his friends.

In his trance he viewed several images. An alien in a white uniform. An air of class and a small hint of affability. Combined with extreme cold intelligence. There was another image of another. An older woman commanding a group of Star Destroyers. She appeared with some smugness on the hinge of snapping.

Lastly there was a woman around Luke's age. She wore dark clothing. Her hair was scarlet. Her eyes bright green. She seemed… closed off. Prison bars trapped her thoughts stopping the traffic of emotions and ideas from revealing themselves. She ignited a violet lightsaber with a hiss.

It was blank in the dream for a few moments, just darkness. Then there was a flame. It engulfed a single figure. Himself. The fire cast shadows and on the shadow's edge there was a cloaked figure. The Emperor sitting on his throne. The phantom of Luke raised his hand. The fire ensnaring the phantom's body traced along its arm. The blaze shooting itself towards the Emperor. It immersed the Sith Lord and he called out in anguish. The mighty Emperor was now ash. The Phantom walked over to the throne and sat down upon it.

He was now wearing regal attire. He slouched in the throne bearing a wicked smirk. His eyes yellow flecked with red. _All hail the Emperor. _Voices shouted in his head. The throne was one of fire and he was the fuel.

Only on Tatooine the attractions are dens of criminals and drinks. Its a living though, being an owner of a cantina. No matter how "respectable" you are on Tatooine you will still come for drinks. The honest moisture farmers, hunters on the edge, and just plain criminals like smugglers and pirates still come to cantinas.

_Probably the most profitable business on this rock. _The Twi'lek bartender reflected. _If only I could get Jawas and Tuskens to buy._

Life as a bartender tended to be dull, you hear a lot of stuff but don't do a lot of stuff either. It can be interesting to a newbie, hearing criminal activities, stories of the big wide galaxy. After a while it tends to blend together.

When he had taken ownership of the cantina a decade ago from a Duros he was told what the Duros was told when it had taken the cantina. The Duros hadn't exactly shown a lot of belief in the story judging from his tone when it told it to him. Neither did he.

Supposedly some Jedi thousands of years ago had come to this very cantina seeking information for some grand adventure to save the galaxy from the Sith. _Yeah right. This building and Anchorhead are old, but no that old. _ Zitkise Gulsizi thought.

Zitkise, that was his name. He rarely ever heard it except for on official documents. He was always called "you", "the Twi'lek", or "the bartender". The one or two people supposedly close to him coined him the nickname Kise because they were to lazy to pronounce more than two syllables.

Today was a particularly quiet day but nothing special. There were no special days on Tatooine. The days were either loud or quiet. Punches were either thrown or not thrown. Someone got shot by a blaster or not. It tended to be nicer when Kise didn't have to clean up a corpse.

Anyways it was quiet until a newcomer showed up. Kise hadn't seen this human around before. Nothing unusual, scum from all over the galaxy happened to show up in a cantina on Tatooine at some point in their lives. The issue was that this woman appeared attractive to other humans and considering the deadweight that hung around in cantinas that meant trouble. And trouble there was.

"Hello there little bird." An especially slimy human schutta approached her. He was twice the woman's height and he was very large. Large like a Hutt. Another low life approached her. "Whats a lovely lady like you doing here in a place like this?" This human was the human version of Kaminoan. Long neck, long arms, and long legs.

"May I invite you for a drink M'lady?" The larger one said.

The lanky one approached her from her back. He reached out to grab her and she dodged. The larger one went to seize her as well. He missed too.

"Come on we just want to show you some fun." The larger one said slightly irritated. She smiled sardonically. "You can certainly entertain me." She said.

She was a blur. A ricocheting blaster bolt. The larger man's arm contorted painfully. One of the gangly one's legs bent back in the wrong direction. In an instant the two were on the ground writhing.

"You were right," She stared hard at the two men, "it was fun." She said both coldly and menacingly.

Looks like this was going to be one of those days where a punch was thrown. She walked over to the counter and leaned on it.

"I have a few questions." She plopped down a handful of credits discreetly on the counter. She whispered a question as to the location of a place. Seeing to reason to deny her the answer, Kise gave her the directions. With her confusion settled she made her way out of the cantina. To the wilds of Tatooine.

It had been a pain getting permits to land the shuttle, especially considering it was an Imperial shuttle. He had dealt with it though, even if a farm boy he was, it was impossible to live on Tatooine and not know how to deal with this sort of stuff. A few mind tricks didn't hurt either.

Luke had arrived in Anchorhead. He knew the beacon was in the general vicinity. By general that meant it could have been in Junland, Anchorhead, Mos Eisley. maybe even the Pika Oasis. Either he'd tracked the signal to more than a few square miles.

Since he was hoping this was a signal from the Rebels it would originate from the last meeting place when trying to rescue Han. Ben's hut up in the southwestern edge of the Dune Sea. Regardless he had a lot of ground to cover and he certainly wasn't going to get to all these places in the next century on foot or Dewback. He need to get a speeder.

Again he needed to haggle using his Tatooine heritage skills. Price wasn't too much of a worry, he'd been lended credits upon his stay on the Death Star. That still wasn't going to stop him arguing the extravagant prices the Ithorian was trying to give him for a rental.

When he finally had gotten a speeder he got a X-34 landspeeder both out of nostalgia and his experience with the vehicle. Before he headed out he made sure he had all his supplies. He gotten a blaster pistol from one of the stormtrooper armories in the Death Star to replace the crushed DL-18 pistol. He was wearing his jet black robes now that he wore during and previous to the duel with Vader. He also had rations and a health kit. Tatooine is a dangerous place, sometimes you needed to be a walking army to survive on your own.

Most importantly he carried a homing beacon to find the signal. With all his supplies he went out into the great desert of Tatooine alone.

He was a kid again. Flying across the dune sea in a speeder. Only when he was younger he did not have a care in the world. He just wanted to hang out with friends and dream about the stars. Now he had a goal. To find his friends. To return to the Rebels.

With that goal in mind he arrived at Ben Kenobi's hut, perched atop a low mesa. He parked the speeder next to hut as he had four years ago when this crazy adventure began. A boy, two droids, and an old hermit.

The house appeared abandoned. This disheartened Luke for a bit before he calmed himself remembering that looks can be deceiving. However this time the looks were correct. Even after minutes of close inspection, the house was indeed empty.

He sat down where had sat when Ben had presented him with his father's lightsaber and was told the story of the Jedi's fall. He sat in contemplation trying to let the force tell him the recent history of the house. The force had shown him that no one had entered the house since Luke had last left it to go to Jabba's.

He went to Ben's chest and opened it finding the journal Luke had used to build his lightsaber. The lightsaber picked apart piece by piece by the Emperor. He had already read the journal cover to cover countless times but something compelled him to take the book with him.

He then set up the tracker to search for the signal. After several minutes it traced the signal to the Jundland Wastes. Where he had just come from. He nearly swore at his stupidity. He had let his emotions guide his actions. He hoped Leia and Han were here. Completely ignoring the fact that the signal was where Luke had arrived on the planet.

He stormed out of the house in partial embarrassment and frustration. He leapt into the speeder and headed _back_ to the Great Chott salt flat. He let both the force and tracer guide him to the signal. He didn't even pay attention as to where he was. Time passed by without his notice. He was with the force and he did not question. He put his faith into it.

It was getting dark before he suddenly snapped back to the dark reality around him. The place was picked apart but he could still smell the death. He could also see where the sand had turned into glass from blaster marks. It still wasn't the location of the signal, but a gut feeling told Luke where it originated.

"Please no." He begged to no one. "Just, please not there."

To Luke's horror when he finally found the source his fears were realized. He had hoped to never come here again. The sythstone homestead still smelt of ash. It was a corpse picked apart by those little hooded scavengers. Two things remained that no scavenger would pick apart. To Luke's dismay even the sand had not ridden the homestead of the two charred bodies of Owen and Beru Lars.

The signal was in the dead building. Every part of Luke's body told him to give up the wild Bantha chase. To go back to the shuttle and leave. Do anything but stay.

Nevertheless, he had come here on a mission. A mission he came to fulfill. Every step was weighted with permacrete. Sand pulled away with every falling foot. With great pain he walked past the dead bodies of his aunt and uncle into the building where he had grown up.

The signal was the homestead's garage where he had first found the distress message from Leia. A small beacon laid where the hologram of sister repeated _Obi-Wan Kenobi you are my only hope._

He reached out to touch the beacon but hesitated. At what? He did not know. After a time he did turn on the beacon which held a message. A hologram.

"Sir, they say they don't know anything about the droids." A stormtrooper said in a distorted voice. Two stormtrooper were aiming their guns at Owen and Beru kneeling in surrender. A defiant look in Owen's face.

"Captain you may commence The Burning." A voice boomed. Vader's voice. _The Burning._ Luke thought horrified at the insinuations of the name. "With pleasure." The stormtrooper said smugly.

It was more horrifying than Luke's imagination and the after result. The stormtroopers used their blasters on a low setting, firing into aunt Beru's legs. Searing through her legs to bloodied bone. They did this bit by bit of her body until she was a corpse. When Owen failed to answer their repeated inquisitions of the droids, they did the same horrible torture for him.

Luke just sat for hours after the holo recording ended. _There is still good in him._ He had said. There was no way someone good could have done this. Luke shivered in shock. He sat.

The passage of time seemed to not effect him in the speeder, but here was worse. He sat for more than one day without noticing the passage of time. For days he was in horror at seeing the gruesome deaths of the kind guardians who had raised him from birth.

He was numb, truly numb. After those days some emotion came back into him. As the blaster had been crushed, so did the beacon.

In a primal rage Luke shouted as he crushed the beacon into dust with the force. All he could do was shout as any remaining objects in the homestead thrashed about.

Owen and Beru Lars are dead by the Empire's hand and they had to pay for their crimes once and for all. How could these stormtroopers have gotten away with these crimes against all that is decent. They would pay. They will all pay.


	8. Chapter 8: Another Step

"I now know my answer for your offer." Starkiller said as coldly as a dead sun. "What?" Sidious said, actually slightly confused. "The offer. The offer for you to give me anything I desire." Starkiller said emotionless. "And what would that be?"

Starkiller took a deep breath. "Actually more than one requests. The first being complete access to a military database and clearance to see information on Vader's level of authority. Or is that to much for the great and power Emperor."

"What are the other requests?"

Starkiller readjusted his cloak, draping the cape over his shoulders. "I will tell those at a later time." He said not sounding so different from the reviled Darth Vader commanding his troops. This Sidious had to smile at.

"Of course. There is a computer in your quarters. I shall give you clearance for your search."

Starkiller gave a somewhat cynical bow and left. _Such loathing. It is emanating from him. So much. It looks like the Hand has succeeded in her mission._

Starkiller walked with purpose down the corridors of the Death Star, not caring if he drew attention to himself. No one stared at him, fearing even looking at the new dark lord would destroy them.

The door slid to Starkiller's quarters slid open before him. If he had been in a different mood he would have cursed himself for not being aware of his surroundings and not noticing the computer earlier, but nothing struck his mind except his goal. He locked the door and made sure there were no bugs or hidden holocams.

He got working at the computer fast, putting in a search parameter for missions relating to Tatooine. Making sure he got the specific mission he added: 19 years after the formation of the Empire, Death Star plans, and droids. This narrowed down most of the results but there were many subcategories of this mission. He lastly added "Lars".

He scanned the debriefing of the mission and knew he had found what he had been looking for. It was time for his next request.

It was strange feeling, being turned from a grunt to a Imperial major. Not wearing stormtrooper armor just felt wrong. Thats the price of aptitude, when you are the best at what you do, you are pushed up further into a foreign positions. At least it wasn't like what happened to the clones. The ones that survived the uprising on Kamino and stayed loyal to the Empire were gradually forced into desk jobs with their accelerated age.

Major Hanfos had hoped he would have been promoted to a royal guard, but then again maybe he dodged the blaster bolt on that. Standing around giving orders was better than standing around doing nothing.

The excitement of Endor had ended days ago. No with the Rebels dying nothing was happening, not even some lunatic trying to go down as some sort of martyr.

An officer's life is dull, meeting after meeting. A meeting was exactly where Hanfos was going. The hallways seemed normal at first, but he noticed something off. Nothing he could place. As he neared his destination it clicked in his mind. For a battle station filled with thousands and thousands of soldiers the hallway was vastly empty.

No droids, no sounds of footsteps, not even sounds of computers or other machinery. Only the low hum of the ship. He tensed as he walked, ready to strike. He rounded a bend finding the first signs of activity. A royal guard with a force pike readied. Hanfos with his years of experience moved into action without hesitation. He charged at the guard draped in crimson. The guard did not move as Hanfos grabbed at him.

Hanfos almost remarked how easily this guard was being taken down when his world turned black. His last observation being suddenly tired as he went face first onto the floor.

Red. Red and black, those were the colors that greeted Hanfos as he awoke. Drowsy, he struggled to picture where he was. It hit him like a blow from a angered Wookiee when he realized where he was. A detention cell.

What had he done? He sat paranoid, his mind going haywire at the implications. His mind lingered in panic for what seemed like a long time to Hanfos before the door to the cell opened.

Opened revealing a form wearing a dark cloak with a hood obscuring its face. It walked into the cell and made sure the door was closed before speaking.

"Major Hanfos. I believe you worked for Vader. Is that correct?" The figure said evenly but almost politely. Words could not make there way up Hanfos' dry throat.

"Is that correct?" It said a little harsher but still with a calm tone. "Never mind, I already know. You were one of the few non-clones to be a member of the 501st. Now you sit here a Major without the armor of a soldier."

Something about that somehow stung Hanfos's pride. He could still not speak however.

"Have you ever been to Tatooine, Major?"

This was when Hanfos noticed an interrogation droid along with the dark figure. Hanfos tried to hide his fear but failed.

With every sentence the dark man's voice raised. "Do you remember the theft of the Death Star plans? Have you ever been on a mission to look for droids? Do you know what interrogator droids can do? What punishment the deal? They know every pressure point that will hurt when force is applied. They can release a drug that makes even the slightest touch the worst pain you have ever faced."

The droid released a needle moving ever closer towards Hanfos. He attempted to squirm from the droid but something kept him from moving. Nothing physiological, but he his body refused to budge. With a sharp pain that shot up his spine, the droid injected a drug into his nervous system.

"Have you ever seen a moisture vaporator? A farmer? A couple of farmers? Husband and wife? Have you ever seen a man being burnt to death?!"

Hanfos's arms started to bend in positions they are not able to go in. Wails of pain emanated from Hanfos' deepest reservoirs. It only got worse as invisible forces compelled his body to thrash in unimaginable agony.

A noise dampener was almost added to quiet down the screaming for those outside the cell. Instead from the orders of an unknown source, the sound was amplified.

After the dark figure had left, even the most strong stomached Imperial vomited at the mess of Hanfos' corpse. Witnesses claimed that the dark figure's eyes glowed yellow and with ferocity to to make a rancor cower in fear.

_The commander of the mission is dead. The other stormtrooper had been executed for crimes against the Empire years earlier. Justice has been payed and I have gotten what I wanted from the Emperor._

The next flame has been ignited.


	9. Chapter 9: The Lives That Matter

_Never again. I will never fail another one of them. No one will ever harm those I care about! As long as I'm breathing, I am their protector. I will not be helpless anymore._

Thats why Starkiller decided to finally gave his final request to the Emperor.

"I need power, I need the power to never be weak _ever_ again. The strength to protect those I love."

This both pleased and made Sidious reflect. Starkiller finally wanted the Sith Lords teachings. He also realized that his reasoning to join is very similar to what made Vader become a Sith.

And what made him break after his injuries. It was a double edged sword. What could make a Skywalker turn is also what makes them tied to the light.

"So know you pledge yourself truly now? Not some half-hearted oath like before?"

Starkiller nodded.

"Then Starkiller was perhaps Starkiller was not the best title for you. It seems you need a new one, now that you have fully aligned yourself to the Sith."

The titleless apprentice kneeled before his master.

"You will be known as Darth Broer, now and until the end of time itself. Rise my true apprentice. Rise to become better than the Jedi ever could have made you. Rise to be a Dark Lord of the Sith."

So he did stand, Darth Broer had the look of a predator. Cold, sharp, and most of all, most importantly, focused. The next in the line of Bane's Sith. Bane, Zannah, Cognus, Millennial, Gean, Rampage, Tenebrous, Plagueis, Sidious, and now Broer. He wouldn't be a failure like Gravid, Tyrannis, and Vader. Sidious would make sure of that.

"Peace is a lie, there is only-" Sidious began. "Passion." Broer interrupted surprising Sidious. "Through passion, I gain strength." The young Sith continued. "Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The force shall set me free."

Sidious cackled and recited something in some strange language. "_Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun. Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk. Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan. Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha. Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun."_

The Sith emperor rose his fist upwards. "These are the words of our ancestors. The code of the exiles that became the first lords. Sorzus Syn penned this code. These Jedi exiles subjugated an ancient warrior race called the Sith. They were practically barbarians with an affinity to the dark side. The race used to have an empire but it died with the death of their king, Adas. They were weak, they needed a leader to shepherd them. Thats what the first Dark Lords did. Ajunta Pall, Sorzus Syn, Karness Muur, XoXaan, Remulus Dreypa. Thats what they did, thats what I have done, what you will do. Guide the galaxy. Create a better one. Thats what the Sith do."

Broer absorbed all this information, ravenous for knowledge. New knowledge would lead to more power. More knowledge would give him the power to save the ones he loved.

This is Darth Broer.

They had been in a room similar to this one not too long ago. It was more somber though, more grim than when they met to make their biggest stand against the Empire. The war-room on this Mon Cal Star Cruiser also held a much smaller amount of people than before.

"Its a foolish idea! Did we not just lose thousands of good men and women?" Mon Mothma said sternly.

"Forgive me if this is harsh, but you are a politician. I am a soldier, I seem to be one of the few who remembers that we are an army! Armies are not meant for sitting around doing nothing. We have done nothing in almost a month, not even send out recon teams or anything."

The opposer to Mothma was a man in his middle aged man named Densan Clefur. Previously the Vice Admiral but now the current Admiral at the death of Gial Ackbar.

The argument had been going on for a few hours with no progress. It both made Han Solo's annoyance rise and its made his head spin. Leia seemed to be doing better, at least to Han anyways. She was just better at hiding her emotion than him. Thats a skill that's picked up when being groomed from a young age to be a diplomat.

"If I must repeat myself, I will. The alliance has just lost thousands of soldiers. We must recuperate."

"Recuperate," Clefur laughed, "We have been doing _nothing._ The alliance is dying and I don't want to die slowly with our tails between our legs. I want to go out fighting, we need to build support. We can not do that if we appear to be weak."

"Weak you say, well I would rather not appear as a group of fools to supporters. What you are saying sounds like what the Empire would do if they were us. Are you expecting us to start building super-weapons now."

Admiral Clefur was about to bite back at that retort when a voice pierced their argument. The calm appearing Leia had snapped at the two not realizing the obvious course of action.

"What _we_ need to do is to get supporters. We can't do that with war, people are tired of the violence the Empire causes, and we cannot do nothing. We need to do that diplomatically, we need to do what we did before the alliance. Show the galaxy the Empire's evils, have them turn again the Empire. Rebuilding is what we need to do. If we are going to fight at all it must only be small privateering operations, no large scale battles. The last one we fought we lost. Hit and run. Propaganda. That is what we must do."

That was probably the first time Han had smiled in a while. Leia had managed to beat her way through all the bureaucratic Bantha fodder. She had just simply said the obvious nothing more, nothing less. It was refreshing after all the political nonsense.

Of course they still argued about it for another extended period of time. Unnecessary of course because all realized that Leia's course of action was best. The realization being a displeasure to some and a relief to others who were tired of the current indecisive nature of the alliance

It would take a while for Leia's words to be put into action, but something was better than nothing. It wasn't entirely nothing for a month. There was mourning for the lost: Ackbar, Wedge, Lando, Luke, and many more. There was also the fear of being caught by the Empire, being completely wiped out.

All had taken the deaths hard. It still was a stab into her heart every time Leia remembered that she was never sure of why Luke had gone to face Vader alone. When Luke was presumed dead she refused to believe it. She could feel him. She could definitely tell he was alive. A gut feeling tugged at her, saying what she hoped. _Luke Skywalker is alive._

She had just found out about their relation and all evidence pointed that he was dead. She tried to somehow connect with him like they did on Bespin. All she got was a cold emptiness. Not the warm life that usually radiated off Luke.

It also tore her apart to see both droids for the first time being truly sad. Threepio the friendly but easily scared "professor" as Han called him. Artoo the determined trouble-maker who is as much of a hero as any one of them.

Han had been trying as much as possible to sooth her, to help her with her sadness. It did not help that Han also felt distraught at their friend's demise.

One thing tied her down, one thing kept her sane. She would not lose another loved one, not after Alderaan, not after Endor. She would continue to fight, she will make sure the Rebel Alliance succeeds. The reign of terror by the Emperor will end. It must so she can protect her loved ones: Han, Chewie, Threepio, and Artoo. None of them will be killed by the Empire if she has something to say about it.

Han felt the same way, he would never let her get touched by the Empire's malevolent hands. They would all stand together and fight to protect what matters to them.

The Rebel Alliance can't die, for evil must never be allowed to succeed. _May the force be with us all._


	10. Chapter 10: Thrown Into Chaos

He hadn't remembered falling asleep. Broer had tried to escape the grip of slumber so he could reflect on his new found knowledge. It wasn't much, Sidious had withheld much information. With what he did learn he kept lying awake picking apart the details.

After the Second Great Schism when many Jedi split from the order, the hundreds of Dark Jedi created an army starting the Hundred Year Darkness. Decades of fighting went on and on between the two groups of force users. Finally at Corbos the war ended, a Jedi victory. The Republic wanted all the Dark Jedi executed but the Jedi made their worst mistake. They merely exiled the Dark Jedi to the Unknown Regions.

These exiles found their way onto Korriban home to the Sith. A barbaric race symbiotic to the dark side that once had an empire spanning multiple planets. Now they were just barbarians once again. The exiles were seen as gods by the Sith and the exiles became the first Dark Lords of the Sith.

The Dark Lords recreated the Sith Empire from the ashes of the old one. Over centuries they rebuilt it.

Broer didn't know further than that except for one word, one name, one title. The Sith'ari. Sidious didn't tell Broer who the identity of the title was or even what it meant.

After a small review of his knowledge Broer became aware that where he was, was not his quarters he was staying in. It was much smaller and much more bare, just a worn down bed. He could sense no life either. It felt empty.

He leapt out of his bed and analysed the only door in the dark room. There was no control panel for the door and there was no place on the door for slicing the door's functions. That left Broer with the most obvious option, the force. A intangible grip strained on the door to slide open. Broer put all of his strength into sliding the door open but to no avail. Next he used the force to punch its way through the door but that proved useless as well. Something was keeping this door in place.

Nothing was in the room that could have aided him, in fact the room was empty par the bed. A feeling of hopelessness brewed inside Broer until he did notice something in the room besides the bed. A backpack. He quickly went over to the bag and rummaged through it. The new hope diminished when he discovered that the bag only contained: a dark grey jumpsuit not too dissimilar to the one he wore on Bespin, a glow rod, and some military rations to last someone a few weeks. Nothing to give him any clues of his location or to where he was.

He could at least he was in a ship because he could feel the almost living breathing of the hyperdrives working their gears. With no options Broer sat down on the cold floor and began to meditate. Pondering his location and recent events.

. . .

The visions were more abstract this time, ripples in the force cascading from the darkness. It was as if a large rock had been dropped decades ago causing currents that have lasted into the modern day and perhaps beyond. He tried to swim back, back in time, treading through the force. As he got closer he sensed a distant feeling of pain and strangely enough even closer, the feeling of hope and family, hope for unity. However there were threads of innocence lost, a children plunged into darkness.

The pain was closer now. The axis of the pain was fire. The smoke made it hard for Broer to breath, it snaked around his lungs closing him seemingly off to the living force. Suffocation came literally and figuratively, there a wall blocking him off. A wall that held a shattered heart. The ash contorted into a dark figure staring spears into Broer.

Limbs became molten lead and burned with the intensity of a supernova.

Broer screamed and he was snapped out of his meditation, his pain creating a shockwave with the force tearing apart the bed in the ship's quarters. He keeled over panting and gasping to precious air.

After regaining some oxygen he noticed the door in the quarters was open. He took the bag, unaffected by the blast, with him and went out of the door. The room he entered looked like the galley, it was dark empty. In fact the whole ship was empty: guns, bridge, engine room and all.

Surprisingly to Broer the entrance to the ship was unlocked. He opened the hatch and stopped himself as he stared outside. Before he even saw the location he was in he could sense the effect of the force in this location. It was dark but not in the Sith way. Tragedy stained this planet. After the feeling the emotions he realised he could not breath at first. The air felt toxic. It smelled of sulphur. The world was hellish. Something straight out of mythological tales.

Like Hell from Corellian lore. the Void, the Netherworld, Chaos.

The land burnt black and bled orange lakes of fire. Mountains of ash held lava falls. Blaze shot up in the air and speckles of flame riddled the air. Broer could see no buildings but little droids carrying buckets of ore repulsed over the lava rivers.

The ship holding Broer appeared to have been landed on a plateau. He stepped down the ramp and felt the boiling air weigh him down.

He heard a click and some static behind him towards the ship. There was a little spider-like machine that projected an image of the hooded Dark Lord of the Sith, Sidious. Broer kneeled before the hologram ignoring the pain of the ash burning his knee and legs.

"What is it my master?" Broer asked.

"I have brought you to this place as the first part of your training. You will discover this world's secrets to be most informative. You will survive here alone for an indefinite amount of time. I had done a similar task with my master, I had learned the fires that forged my master in his youth. These fires will forge you my apprentice."

Broer hesitated to ask how long he would stay here but he stopped himself. Something told him he would not get an answer. Also his sense of danger stopped him. He only just rolled away and off of the plateau as the ship and holoprojector exploded in a fiery demise.

He tumbled down the edge of the plateau, cuts forming in his skin and clothing from scraping along jagged obsidian. He would have almost taken a dive into magma had he not compelled the force to throw him to a small ledge on the side of large rock formation.

He heaved himself to his feet and then fell down, sitting. He clutched at his wounds. Everything was still in his bag but he was bleeding badly. Bruised and battered Broer struggled to stay conscious.

Red thunder flashed across dark clouds. Horror flashed in Broer's mind. This was no place for a living being. Nothing could survive here. No water, no food, only death. Was this his punishment for joining the Sith? Was this his own personal Chaos.

He felt even more weak because while the force was strong in this place, it was broken. Only misery survived on this scarred planet.

_What could have caused this?_

The world felt distant yet familiar, like it had some sort of tie to him. This would be his home, his grave.

He nodded off, about to fall into sleep. An eternal slumber. He was losing his grip on this world, he felt faint. Crimson dripped onto black ground.

_No. I can't die this way_. He shook, his muscles tense. _No. No. I can't._

Pieces of gravel started to shake and rise in the air. The ledge Broer was sitting on shook and became less stable.

"_NO!"_

The ledge fell dropping Broer into the ocean of embers.


	11. Chapter 11: Pomp and Circumstance

"Luke!" Leia screamed in pain as she was roused from sleep.

A few hurried footsteps later and the door to the crew quarters in the _Millennium Falcon_ slid open. Han ran in, nervous and holding a blaster at ready, with Chewbacca and his bowcaster in tow.

"What is it?" He said, his voice not betraying the concern he felt for Leia.

Leia curled up in her bed and covered her face with her hands, both composing and reaffirming herself. However for all the deep breaths, she could not steel herself.

With her words stumbling over themselves she answered Han. "I felt him. I felt Luke. It was like on Bespin, I somehow heard him plead for help. I felt him surrounded by danger. It was overwhelming and then I felt," Tears started to pelt down her face. "Nothing."

Han ran over to her side and offered her comfort and she complied, letting him embrace her in his arms. They sat in silent mourning for more than a few moments in the comfort of each other.

There were sounds of working circuitry and whirling of joints as Threepio and Artoo entered the quarters together.

"What is it Mistress Leia?" Threepio inquired.

Leia and Han remained silent but Chewbacca murmured something with lament.

"Oh my!" Threepio exclaimed and he suddenly went silent as well. Artoo twittered with sorrow and the little astromech's body angled towards the ground in grievance.

The crew of the _Millennium Falcon _that night all had holes in their heart at the passing of their old friend Luke Skywalker. They were on a run of diplomatic missions in the hope of turning star systems to the Rebel's side and to make sure Rebel aligned planets did not leave the alliance. The _Falcon_ was on its way to a planet in the Mid-rim close to the Outer, a little emerald world in the Chommell sector named Naboo.

Naboo has always been conflicted in the Civil War, while most citizens hated the Empire, a portion of the nobility supported Palpatine and welcomed the Empire's rule. It was their mission to get Rebel sympathizers on Naboo to support the Rebel cause.

So Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Threepio, and Artoo waited in the aloofness of hyperspace to arrive at the world and meet their Naboo contact.

. . .

The redheaded woman in the spectacular dress took a sip of blossom wine along with the nobleman Sharme Neshund. The ornate hall held a body of rich Naboo locals and Imperial leaders.

The redheaded woman laughed at Sharme's joke even though she did not find it funny nor endearing, but she did anyways to fit in the role of the bubbly Naboo noblewoman Na'omi Shiama. While being sociable to the nobleman her eyes tracked the grand hall to look for whom she came for.

"I'm terribly sorry but I must go. I have spotted an old friend and would like to greet them." Na'omi told Sharme.

Sharme nodded and said with the classic diplomatic smile of a politician or an aristocrat, "Of course. A good day to you madame."

Blending in with the crowd she stalked a young woman with a ponytail dressed in a sea foam green silk dress. As she got closer and closer, she made sure she was cornering the woman in the green dress. She was about to make her move when something inside of her flared. She hesitated, it felt similar to her danger-sense but on a smaller scale. She camouflaged herself back into the crowd, analyzing the party with eagle eyes.

. . .

Leia had chosen to wear something to make her subtly incognito, a face in the crowd. She wore a white dress that was elegant enough to fit in with all the pomp of the nobles but normal enough to blend in with the crowd. Her dress was like a cloak with a hood gracefully draped over her head in a manner that both hid her famous face of the rebellion and could look to some as her choice of fashion.

It would have been harder to have Han fit in with the party so he was tasked to stay outside and hide, also to ensure if things went south he could ensure Leia's escape.

She scanned the faces of the party looking for the Rebel sympathizer. They had only been able to send a brief message to contact their person of interest to warn of their arrival.

Leia only somewhat knew how their contact looked, the contact had served in the Imperial Senate and was sympathetic to the Rebel cause but she never helped in any direct manner.

Even with the lack of knowledge Leia spotted her contact who was wearing a light green dress. So Leia walked in a manner that was quick but did not look hurried over to the woman in the green dress.

"Greetings Lady Naberrie, how goes the liberty of Naboo?" Leia welcomed using the agreed upon code words.

Pooja Naberrie turned around and said with an almost rueful smile, "Dismissed with boisterous applause." Pooja extended her hand and the two shook. "Its good to see you Lady Sabé."

Sabé had been chosen as a cover name for Leia out of memory. Sabé had been a tutor of Leia and her childhood friend Winter. Leia choses the name because her father had told her that before Leia was born, Sabé had been from Naboo but because of the Empire she lived with the Organas.

The two ex senators of the Empire chatted and gossiped like they were two friends to hide the more important mission at hand. After a minute or two the pair started to talk more quietly but still casually to hide the direness of the discussion.

"I have heard about Endor, but only pieces."

"It was bad." Leia replied with her sadness starting push its way through her jovial act. "Countless dead, a lot of them were old friends. Even more of them important to our cause."

Pooja placed her hand in sympathy on Leia's shoulder. "I'm sorry. It must feel horrible, loss is a thing common when the Empire rules. You probably know most of all."

Leia nodded grimly. "Thats why we need help. I have heard that countless nobles were sympathetic to our side and plenty more of security officers from before the Empire are vengeful for the deaths of the last queen. Perhaps some could invest money so we could have more of a budget to make new ships and weapons."

Pooja leaned in to give some of the information she knew about other Rebel allies on Naboo but was interrupted.

"Hello Pooja! Its great to see you. Who is your friends here?"

The cheerful voice came from a woman with ruby hair in a complex dress. She wore a large grin.

Something inside of Leia went off like an alarm, a punch to the gut that got her heart going. Something felt off.

Her hand went to a pin in her hair that could secretly message Han. One tap for telling him everything was fine. Two taps for that there is something wrong and Han should be read. Three taps for immediate danger and that it was time to escape.

She tapped twice.

. . .

Han noticed the commlink blink twice. He went deeper into the shadows of the alley, his hand gripping a hidden blaster. Eyes focused on the palace that held the aristocrats he waited. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Something swam in his head, something that had been plaguing him mind recently. Concern. Not for himself but for others, particularly Leia. It was a new feeling. Something that had developed recently.

Of course he had been attracted to females previously but never had he genuinely cared for another. _I guess some of the kid's kindness had rubbed off on me since we met in that cantina._

He snapped around, his blaster whirling when he heard steps behind him. A figure stood in front of him with a blaster as well.

"Put the blaster down." A male voice whispered from the shadows. "I'm an ally."

Han narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "Why should I trust you? You have a blaster you could easily fire at my head when I put mine down."

The man in the shadows threw his gun on the ground and raised his hands in submission.

"Han Solo of Corellia, pilot of the _Millennium Falcon_. His co-pilot Chewbacca owes Solo a life-debt. You joined the Rebellion after Yavin after going to rescue Princess Leia from the Death Star along with Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi. You had a bounty on your head from a smuggling job where you had released some of Jabba's precious cargo. Boba Fett with the help of the Empire froze you in carbonite on Bespin to complete this bounty. Jabba died because your friends saved you from his clutches."

The man in the shadows pointed at the palace. "Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan is in that palace over there. She grew up on Alderaan following the footsteps of her father, Bail. She became a senator in the Imperial Senate and was also there for the founding of the Rebellion on Corellia with her father, Mon Mothma, and Garm Bel Iblis. She was captured on the Tantive IV while trying to deliver the Death Star plans to Yavin. She watched her home-world destroyed on the Death Star. She led the mission to save you, Solo."

Han tightened his grip on his blaster. "Anyone could find that information out."

The figure walked into the light, he wore standard Naboo clothing nothing spectacular. The man looked to be in his early sixties. He smiled somewhat ruefully.

"I know that there is nothing I can do to sway you except for my actions. I may not be an official part of the alliance but I know of plenty of people who hate the Empire. They are all over, people willing to die for a good cause. They are not just on Naboo. There are even some in the palace, but for every ally there is an enemy. Imperial agents are also everywhere. I caution you about that palace, while I know of people willing to die to save the Rebel hero Leia, there are some who would like to see here head on a pike."

The man extended his hand. Han reluctantly put his blaster down but he did not shake the hand of the stranger.

"I cannot tell you my name for ears are everywhere, but I will tell you this: I have served this world keeping peace for a long time. I was in the security force of Naboo for a long time. I was even here before the Clone Wars when the Trade Federation invaded Naboo. Those events may sound unfamiliar to somewhat raised after the war, but to us who remember it, it is just as important as the war itself."

. . .

As Na'omi got even closer to the two Rebels, Leia became increasingly at an unease. Na'omi went to hug Pooja and Leia's mind went wild. She felt the temptation to tap the hair piece three times.

_BANG!_ A red trace of blaster bolt fire lanced across the party. Na'omi dodged the bolt and she crouched on the ground like a predator ready to strike. Her warm features suddenly turned cold.

_BANG! BANG!_ Green lances of fire arced from a squadron of stormtroopers entering the party. More fire emanated from- what was a shock to Leia, some nobles firing at the troopers.

Leia tapped the hairpiece three times as she brought out a blaster she had hidden. She nearly fell on her back as she dodged a bolt from a small blaster held by Na'omi. As she stumbled she noticed that the bolt seemed to wild to hit her, and thats when she registered Pooja clutching at her side.

Leia fired a round at Na'omi, not necessarily to hit her but to distract her as she helped Pooja up to her feet.

Glass shattered and people shouted out in pain as the decadent party turned into a battlefield. Leia felt a pain at her back and saw Na'omi pulling back her leg from a kick. Leia stumbled and her palms and knees became bloody as they were scrapped from her fall. She rolled on the ground to face upwards and she pointed her blaster at Na'omi. Her heart sank when she noticed both Pooja and Na'omi missing.

It rose when she noticed one of the nobleman helping her up and pulling her outside to the shadows. She could not spot Na'omi, which worried her. She noticed a hand offering her up and she quickly accepted it.

It was Han. They both stood up, back to back, surrounded by Imperials and the Imperials were also surrounded by allies, and those allies were surrounded by other Imperials. Not all of the help were nobles, some new ones came from outside.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Han and Leia said in unison.


	12. Chapter 12: Like Flies

She didn't need to use any sort of machinery to contact him. Mara Jade was psychically linked to the Emperor through the force. The mission had been changed, Naberrie is no longer the focus, instead her mission is to capture Leia Organa and Han Solo alive.

She'd slipped out of the expensive dress and put on a black military suit, with patches of armor and pouches for holding various tools. She still kept her hidden sleeve blaster but she doubted she would use it because of it already being seen by Leia. Mara had also taken a larger Imperial issue blaster and taken her violet lightsaber.

The Emperor's Hand had now gathered a contingent of stormtroopers that she had made sure were skilled and not slackers like some recent troopers.

While the streets of Theed were winding and maze-like, Mara would be able to track the Rebels even in the chaos of the battle that had broken out. Her tracking skills were top-notched, she was an expert at sensing individual targets in the ocean of the force. It didn't hurt that Leia had a strong pull on the force.

Leia seemed to be grouped together with three others. One of them most likely was Solo, and Mara speculated that one of the others was Pooja. The final person was most likely a Rebel helping Naberrie move from her nearly fatal blaster wound.

Mara sent off her trooper squadron in groups of two to close off roads to trap the fleeing Rebels. She took to the roofs of Theed to get a vertical advantage over her targets. Mara Jade ran and jumped, rooftop after rooftop with two troopers following her as they converged upon Leia's group

. . .

Blood and blaster scores riddled the streets of Theed. It was not the first it had seen war, surprisingly for such a peaceful world.

Pooja even under her attempts at trying to be silent and not a hindrance to the group grunted with pain and collapsed. The nobleman Rebel spy named Sharme Neshund who had been carrying the injured woman immediately went to pull her back up. Even Leia and Han stopped to give her a hand.

"No! Leave me, I will only slow you. You must make it to the hiding place without me."

Sharme pulled her up and said with a bit of bravado and hidden concern, "No way. No man or woman left behind on my account."

"Troopers!" Han shouted and leapt under the cover of an overturned speeder. Leia kneeled beside him and the two aristocrat Naboo hid behind a large piece of shrapnel from a building that had fallen down.

Han pulled out his blaster and stood above the speeder and fired. The red fire that emitted from the blaster only scorched duracrete. Han stood up like a sitting duck in confusion for a few moments. The stormtroopers he spotted had gone missing.

In fact the whole street was empty.

He slowly stepped out of cover, blaster ready, looking for any signs of Imperials. He jumped at alleys aiming his blaster only to find nothing. He motioned for the group to go forward.

Even though Han was ahead of everyone else, Sharme still led the group for he was the only one who knew the location of the hidden Rebel base. The group headed into a dark alleyway. They were about to turn a corner when Leia felt something fight inside of her like in the party.

"No, not this way."

Sharme looked at her, puzzled.

"I don't know why, but just trust me. We should not go that way."

Sharme began to object when Han cut him off. He looked at Sharme and said in the surest voice he had ever used, "Listen to her. If what she says is dangerous, its dangerous."

Sharme reluctantly agreed and they went around to look for another route.

. . .

_They're_ _close._ Mara thought. The Rebels were in the correct place, in an intersection where they would soon be surrounded by her Stormtroopers.

"Stand here, ready your aim, and wait for my-" Mara Jade commanded as she turned to look at the trooper with her. Her words were however caught up in her throat as she reeled her blaster at the insurgent who had snuck up on the two.

Her finger began to squeeze the trigger when a bolt seared through her right ankle. She dropped to one knee and scanned her environment spotting the gunmen who had hit her.

The sound of a blaster firing and its flame hitting flesh filled the air, and Mara Jade had not fired. She looked up to see that her Stormtrooper escort had taken a bolt to the chest to her. To save his leader. To save her.

Time froze as that fact became known in her head. Her emotions metamorphosed in her mind, stupefied, to almost pride of her one of her men sacrificing his life, to mourning, to enmity.

_SNAP-HISS._

The Emperor's Hand's violet scintillating blade danced around her. Blaster bolts recoiled from the light. Volleys of ricocheting fire hit all her targets, all the insurgents in the area, on rooftops and in the streets.

In this rage she failed to notice that her targets had escaped. The usual cold and precise assassin of the Emperor had given in to her base emotions. Not only the fires of rage but also the empty feeling of loss.

She fell to the side of the fallen Stormtrooper in the hope of his survival. The effort was to no avail. This Imperial trooper had died to save his leader not out of any fear, but out of loyalty.

Mara Jade, for all the Emperor's training, had never lost her loyalty as well. Not to her men or to Palpatine himself.

She stood up and composed herself, remembering the mission. The mission assigned by her master.

. . .

Eyes widened with horror, a hole appeared in the chest of Sharme Neshund. Tears welled in the eyes of Pooja.

"No! I told you! Its my fault!" She shouted. "You should have left me behind!"

Leia grabbed Sharme by the shoulder and hauled the Naboo woman up.

"No one will be left behind."

Han also hoisted the injured woman up. With a nervous smile he joked attempting to lighten the mood. "Also, without you how are we going to know where to go?"

With a sudden alarm in her head Leia let go of Pooja and whipped around a pistol firing at one of two Stormtroopers behind them. Han contorted his body to both shield Pooja and fire backwards with his blaster. With each release of a blast from their blasters, the three took a step backwards. Drawing deeper into the alley. Before they knew it the group was in an intersection.

It appeared to be a small garden for one of the housings enclosing the area. Like arteries alleys shot off into different directions, all clotted. They were surrounded, every exit held a pair of Stormtroopers.

From the top of a rooftop, a woman dressed in black leapt down to the ground with grace.

"Surrender, you are surrounded." The woman in black commanded. "We do not want you dead, but if you make a move my men will not hesitate to fire upon you."

Han and Leia stood defiantly for a moment, then in silent mutual agreement the two dropped their weapons when the logical choice became clear to them. A trio of Stormtroopers marched forward holding stun cuffs for each of the surrendered Rebels.

Out of the side of his mouth, Han whispered. "When I give the signal run."

Leia thought she understood and was ready for action, but she did not put together fully what Han was doing. A breath away from one of the troopers, Han socked one in the helmet, not caring if his knuckles bled from the impact of fist against hard armor. At the same time he swerved his right leg into the head of one of the other troopers. As the unharmed trooper snapped to attention of what Han did, Solo poached one of the trooper's stun grenades.

"Go!"

Instinct overtook Leia's sudden realization of Han's plan. She grabbed her blaster pistol and ran as fast as she could as Han at the same time dropped the stun grenade he held and he knocked another one from the stormtrooper's body to the ground. In a blinding light Leia escaped from the clutches of the Imperials.

She ran and ran as as fast as she could. Cutting corners, climbing over walls, blending into the shadows. She could feel every crack, every bump on the road. It was almost as if she was no longer Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, hero of the rebellion. The princess was a part of the world.

Her emotions conflicting she felt exhilarated at the escape and sudden horror at realizing she had left Han to die. Attention broken, Leia Organa stumbled but did not fall. Other than her repulsion at her actions and the very real possibility of Han's death, something inside of her squirmed.

Pain shot up her head .like an erupting volcano. Only now she plummet to the turf, her blaster pistol crashing and skidding across the ground, far from her reach. The blow had come from the butt of a blaster rifle held by a lone Stormtrooper.

The nose of the blaster pointed at her face. Laying on the ground, staring at the Imperial, she was helpless.

_Just like how I was helpless to save Han. Just like how I watched Sharme die and I left Pooja behind. Like how I was helpless to stop Luke from confronting Vader. Helpless to stop the Imperial fleet wiping out the Rebel fleet at Endor. Helpless to stop Han from being frozen in carbonite. Helpless to stop the Death Star from…_

Saddened eyes of a wounded animal transmuted into the feral eyes of a caged beast. Ravenous.

"No."

The Stormtrooper attempted to fire but the trigger did not squeeze. He tried to aim but the gun would not comply. He tried to lift his arms to strike Leia but they were paralyzed. The Imperial Stormtrooper was caged in his own body as Leia's blaster vibrated across the ground, lifting into the air, flying as fast a speeder right into the cranium of his helmet. Plastoid bent as he groaned. With precision and accuracy that even surprised herself, Leia caught the pistol, aimed it, and put a hole through the trooper's skull in a period of time that if someone blinked, they would have missed the kill.

. . .

Mara Jade almost cursed herself for letting Leia Organa escape but she still had Pooja Naberrie and more importantly Han Solo. Stormtrooper's applied basic medical care to Naberrie to make sure she would not keel over and die. Solo sat, his arms bound in stun cuffs, managing to somehow keep some smugness over Organa's escape.

An officer who had arrived only after the arrest spoke to Han in a military voice that disguised only some of the vainglorious nature that he uttered. "Do not be so sure of the safety of Organa. She will come crawling back to save you."

Solo drifted his head upwards to stare at the officer with contempt and the Rebel spat in the officer's face. The official's face creased with disgust and he slapped Solo straight across the face. Han immediately stared right back at the officer and grinned sardonically.

Mara did not have time to deal with these trivial manners, she needed to track down Leia Organa, and so she began the chase with haste.

Imperial officer Wuwlf Mahtteoos smiled cruelly when the Emperor's Hand left. He ordered Solo and Naberrie onto their feet.

He leaned close to Han and hissed, "I only mentioned using you as bait to please her. No scum will be left uncleaned on my watch." Wuwlf leaned back and commanded the troopers. "Men, ready your blasters."

Han cringed, he knew he was done for the moment he punched the trooper in the face. He had faced death many times before and had kicked dirt into its face. Now for whatever reason it felt more final.

_I didn't get to tell Leia goodbye._

"Fire!"

His wrinkled face somehow cringed more as he heard the sound of blasters fire.

_So this is the end… _

His ears were filled with the sounds of bolts hitting flesh, bodies hitting the ground, and a…

Howling Wookiee?

His eyes snapped wide open. The Stormtroopers lay in heap along with their officer. He turned around to find a group of faces both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Chewie!" He cried. Chewbacca roared and scooped Han up in his big hairy arms. Han hacked and coughed. "Okay Chewie, you can let me down now." He struggled to breath out.

When dropped by his walking carpet he noticed that among his saviors was the man he had met outside the palace earlier.

"Quarsh Panaka at your service." The old man bowed. He raised his hand for a shake and said with a smile, "Just call me Panaka."

Han shook his hand but was distracted by something else.

"I believe it is time to get to our hideout." Panaka said.

"No, we need to find Leia."

Panaka grinned more and stepped aside and motioned with his hand. Han's heart skipped a beat when he saw her safe.

"Leia!" He shouted with delight. "Han!" She returned as she ran to him. The two embraced in a hug not too dissimilar from the hug with Chewie moments earlier.

"I believe we should get going now." Leia said.

"Me too, this isn't exactly the safest place."

They still continued to squeeze each other for another instant before they committed to break for safety.

. . .

The pain was almost unbearable. Droplets of blood seemed to flood every pore. Whatever skin that was no raw was either purple or blackened. His head spun in the darkness. For such a fiery world, illumination from the flames could not dissuade the darkness.

It seemed an infinity since he was alive. All the things he could have done with life. Help with harvest. Train to be a Jedi Knight. Defeat the Emperor.

Could a dead man feel pain?

Could a dead man protect the ones he loves?

Darth Broer awoke from darkness to the find himself alive. Riddled with injuries, yes, but most definitely alive. His bag seemed to survive as well.

He could not spot the plateau where he had arrived, more alarming that even in the brief glimpses of the world he had seen before, were different from where he was now.

He was no longer from where he had arrived. He noticed he was on a large rocky surface stuck to the edge of a hill like a parasite hooking onto its prey. His awake mind was jarred awake further at noticing that his prosthetic hand had been burnt by the lava. All the synthflesh burnt away revealed a skeletal frame of a hand.

Here is Darth Broer, alone, battered, hungry, thirsty, and lost. Here is the trial that will teach him the unrelenting nature of the world.

_There is no peace for me here._


End file.
